Sanitary bed attachment



Spt. 6. 1932. H. F. SWEET 1,375,522

SANITARY BED ATTACHMENT Filed Feb. 2. 19:1

ATTORNEY.

Patented Sept. 6, 1932.

UNITED) STATES. PATENT OFFICE The invention relates to sanitary bedattachments, and has for, its object to provide a device which isadapted to be disposed on a bedat the head thereof and between thepillows thereon to prevent two occupants of a bed from breathing intothe faces of each other.

A further object is toprovide a device of this character adapted to bemounted on a bed in which a plate is mounted on the bed in uprightposition, said plate carrying a depending bar at one end thereof whichextends between the bedding and frame of the bed at the head thereof,said bar carry- 3 ing means at its lower end and independent of said bedwhich serves to position said plate in operative upright position onsaid bed.

A further object is to provide a device of this character adapted to bemounted on a bed and comprising a partition plate carrying means bywhich it is supported in upright position on said bed without the use ofsecuring means carried by said bed.

A further object is to provide a device of this character forming avertical partition between the pillows on a bed which may be readilyapplied thereto and removed therefrom, said device having no fixedconnection with said bed.

vention.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a bed showing my device mountedthereon in operative position. v

vice.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary vertical section Figure 2 is a perspectiveView of the de nmvnvr. swEE or soUTnnnND, INDIANA SANITARY BEDATTACHMENT Application filed February 2, 1931. Serial No. 512,883.

of a bed showingmy device applied thereto.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a modified form of my device.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral 1 designates the frame of a bedhavinglegs 2 6 and ends 3, and which frame is adapted to carry a set ofsprings A in any suitable manner.

A 'mattressb is mounted on the bed springs and carries the bedding 6. Idispose, by ,sanitary bed attachment between the pillows 7 at the headof the bed. The bed attachment comprises a partitionplate 8, which ispreferablyformed of glass, and which is of a length greater than thewidth. of pillows 7 and of a height .to project substantially above saidpillows. of plate 8 is secured a channel member 9 receiving the edge ofthe plate, the upper end of said channel member terminatingflush withthe upper edge of the plate and its lower end terminating in .spacedrelation below the lower edge thereof. A horizontal channel member 10carried by channel member 9 receives the lower edge of the glass plate,said channel members 9 and 10 thus forming a supporting binding for twoedges ofthe plate. A suitable weight 11 is carried by the channel member9 atthe lower end To one end thereof and in spaced relation to theglassto the plane of the glass be hereinafter set forth.

plate, said weight preferably being substantially flat and disposed in aplane, transverse plate for purposes to After the bedhas been made theplate 8 is placed in the centerthereof between the pillows 7' and inupright position with the channel member 9 adjacent the ,head end of thebed and adapted to extend between the bedding 6 and the bed end 3. Whenthe low er edge ofthe plate rests on the bedding, the weight 11 will bedisposed below the mattress 5 and willvserve to maintain the channel 9and plate 8 in operative upright position without the use of any directsecuring or connecting means with the bed. The

weight 11, being flat, readily passes between the bedding and the bedend, and the device is thus easily applied to or removed from the bedwhen making the bed. The plate forms a vertical partition at the head ofthe bed extending longitudinally thereof, which is of a height andlength sufficient to prevent two occupants of the bed from breathing directly into the faces of each other, and thus prevents the transmissionof colds and the like between the occupants of the bed while they aresleeping; the inhalation of the breath of an afilicted person beingrecognized as one of the most common ways in which persons may besubjected to nasal, pulmonary and other illnesses. It will also be seenthat while this device thus deflects the breath of the occupants of thebed, it still permits them to see each other through the glass plate andto talk to each other, so that the feeling of companionship between themis not lost.

In Figure l is illustrated a modified form of the device which is alsoreadily attachable to'and removable from the bed. In this device a plate12, similar in size, shape and material to plate 8 of the preferreddevice, carries a depending arm 13 at one end thereof, said arm 13 beingprovided with a short forwardly perpendicularly bent portion 14extending parallel to the lower edge of plate 12. A suitable cross piece15 is carried by the end of portion 14 and extends perpendicularly toportion 14 and arm 13. In using this devicethe members 14 and 15 areinserted between the mattress and springs of the bed and the lower edgeof the plate 12 rests on the top of the bedding. 7 The cross piece 15thus holds the plate 12 in operative vertical position by its engagementwith the springs and mattress. This embodiment of the invention iseasily inserted in or removed from operative position by lifting the endof the mattress sufliciently'to permit the device to clear the end ofthe bed during the manipulation thereof. It will thus be seen that thisembodiment of the invention operatively positions the partition on thebed without the use of securing means which connect it to the bed.

l/Vhile the use of a glass partition plate in both of the illustratedembodiments of the invention is to be preferred, a plate of wood, .metalor other suitable material may be employed in place of glass if desired;and in such constructions the use of channel members to bindingly engagethe edges of the glass, and frame members such as the horizontal member10, may be eliminated. The invention is also obviously susceptible ofotherchanges in its specific construction.

The invention having been set forth, what is claimed as new and usefulis:

1. A breath shield adapted to be gravitationally supported in asubstantially vertitially vertically'disposed plate supported on thebedding of a bed adjacent one end thereof, a downwardly extending membercarried by said plate and terminating below the beddin and acounterweight carried by said doward ly extending member and entirelysupported thereby, said counterweight forming means whereby saidvertically disposed plate is normally maintained in a vertical positionon the bedding.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

7 HENRY F. SWVEET.

